ASSESSING PRIMATE DIVERSITY OF THE NAPO RIVER BASIN IN ECUADOR

The Napo River basin is a region of high diversity for several taxonomic groups, yet it is increasingly affected by deforestation, hunting, oil exploitation and mining. Current knowledge gaps about the distribution and status of species in the basin need to be filled to implement effective conservation actions. We assessed primate species richness and density in protected areas along the Napo basin in Ecuador, from 190 to 1915 meters above sea level. In each area we carried out censuses, in the morning, afternoon and evening, in existing trails for periods of 4 to 10 days from July 2018 through January 2019. Transect length ranged from 1 km to 10 km. In each primate sighting we recorded the species, group size and composition, animal - observer distance, and geographic coordinates. We used the King's method for line transects to estimate species densities. We recorded a total of 12 primate species along the basin. Differences in species richness and density point to the effects of altitude and human activities. The highest number of species (9) was found in Tiputini Biological Station, a lowland forest with the least impact of human activities. Curaray, a lowland forest affected by hunting, followed in species richness (7 species) and had a lower density of large primates (e.g., Lagothrix lagotricha 31 ind/km2 vs. 9 ind/km2). Research funded by Proyecto Nuna, USFQ/WCS/Moore Foundation.